En garde 'Nova boasts power perimeter

January 28, 2006|TOM NOIE Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Tutoring the college basketball stars of tomorrow allowed Villanova senior guard Randy Foye a glimpse at where he would like to go in the future. Foye worked a week last July as a counselor at the annual Nike All-America Camp in Indianapolis. Each night after pickup games -- with counselors who included Gonzaga's Adam Morrison and Shelden Williams of Duke -- Foye stepped out the door of the National Institute of Fitness and Sport and eyed the city skyline. There to the right stood a place many believe Villanova can be come April -- the RCA Dome, site of the NCAA Final Four. Foye doesn't focus much on the Circle City these days, but does hope that this weekend's visit to Indiana is the first of two trips to the heartland this season. "We don't really talk about getting to the Final Four," said Foye, who leads No. 6 Villanova (14-2 overall; 5-1 Big East) into a sold-out Joyce Center tonight (6 p.m., ESPN2) against Notre Dame (10-7; 1-5). "Our goal is not the Final Four. We're just trying to be the best team as possible." Ever since a phantom traveling call late in a Sweet 16 game against North Carolina last spring closed the curtain on a 24-8 season, Villanova has been a popular pick to advance to the Final Four for the first time since its storybook 1985 national championship. The spotlight intensified last fall when Villanova was picked by league coaches to win the Big East. While the Wildcats work without versatile wing Curtis Sumpter, who re-injured his left knee in preseason and may or may not return this year, Foye is the ring leader of a powerhouse perimeter that includes classmate Allan Ray, junior Mike Nardi and sophomore Kyle Lowry. Any college program in the country would covet the quartet. The group can do just about anything to win a game -- drive to the basket, get to the foul line, toss in jumpers from anywhere over halfcourt, find guys for open looks and smother opposing guards. These guys are good. Scary good. "They're really athletic," said Irish coach Mike Brey. "They guard the heck out of you and certainly are very explosive off the dribble and shooting the 3-point shot. It's a very confident team." Without Ray, who was sidelined with a strained left hamstring and listed the rest of this week as day-to-day, Villanova struggled Tuesday to beat South Florida. The Wildcats missed 23 of 29 shots and managed just 18 points in the first half. With the effort and intensity sluggish on the road, nothing came easily, yet Foye found a way to seal a 49-46 victory. He made a big 3 early in the second half to give the visitors life. He later made a steal to stop a USF run. He grabbed a key rebound, drew a foul and converted two free throws. Watching the senior from Newark, N.J., work in Tampa again reminded Villanova coach Jay Wright of a player he had at Hofstra -- New Orleans Hornets guard Speedy Claxton. "I find myself saying the same things about him," Wright said of Foye. "He is physically capable and mentally capable of doing anything to win a game for you." Perhaps the front-runner for Big East Player of the Year, Foye has scored 20-plus points 11 times this season. He's third in the league in scoring at 22.5 in conference contests and second in free-throw percentage at 89.7. At 6-foot-4, he leads the team in rebounding (5.3 per game), is second in assists (51) and third in steals (19). Foye is as relentless on the court as he is quiet off of it, constantly coming at opponents in ways few have figured out how to stop. "This is the most fun I've had, probably in the 13 years since I started playing," he said. "We have a lot of weapons." Villanova is more than a talented group of guards. Pay too much attention to them and veteran forwards Jason Fraser and Will Sheridan can step in and score. Freshman Dante Cunningham brings a burst of athleticism and energy off the bench. While the focus is on the little guys, all of whom play at least 31 minutes and have combined to average 61.4 of the team's 74.8 points in league play, Foye insists that the Wildcats are even better when everyone is involved. Not only does that give Villanova confidence that it can compete with anyone, it also leaves the opposition collectively scratching their heads and asking themselves 'Now how do we guard them?' "They don't know how much our other guys can do, but during the game, when they do it, it's a shock to them," Foye said. "We just try to keep the other team on the edge." Probable lineups